The Minister of State and for Sport Jack Chambers has stated that Dublin’s Aviva Stadium could host a top European final in the future following the venue’s removal from Euro 2020.
Speaking to RTE, Chambers confirmed that the stadium had been removed from UEFA’s official list of host venues after the FAI were unable to give assurances that at least 25% of spectators could attend matches at this summer’s tournament.
Although Chambers acknowledged that the decision to remove the venue from the rearranged tournament was a major disappointment, he did state it wasn’t feasible to host matches in the stadium as the Government is only beginning the reopening of society.
Chambers told Claire Byrne that the idea of being able to leapfrog the reopening process and having 11,000 people in one place at the same time just wasn’t possible.
However Chambers did give some reason for optimism as he said that the Stadium could be used to host a major European final such as the Champions League or Europa League in the near future.
He told the programme that the FAI and UEFA are in negotiations over the possibility of using the Aviva Stadium to host a final.
The Sport Minister’s comments came as UEFA have announced that the four matches scheduled to be played in Dublin have been moved to St Petersburg and London.
Under the original proposals the Aviva Stadium was due to hold three group matches and one round of 16 match.
However it is now believed that the three group games will be played in Russia, whilst the the last 16 match will be played in London’s Wembley Stadium.
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